Throughout his 94 years, Joe Williams was a strong supporter of the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
A 1950 graduate of the College of Pharmacy, the Pawnee City native who worked in his grandfather’s pharmacy as a kid made his first donation to the University of Nebraska in the amount of $10 in 1958.
As Williams worked his way up to eventually becoming president of pharmaceutical giants Parke-Davis and Warner-Lambert, he continued to financially support his alma mater. UNMC announced Williams’ final gift this week of $20 million for the College of Pharmacy.
Williams died at age 94 in March 2021. He gave to UNMC out of gratitude for the education he received, said his wife of 48 years, Millie. Williams earned his pharmacy degree at UNMC after serving in the United States Navy during World War II.
“He felt very fortunate to have had that opportunity. He thought a lot of the university and the relationships he formed throughout the years,” Millie said.
Part of NU’s systemwide $3 billion “Only in Nebraska” fundraising campaign, Williams’ donation came as “a shock to me,” said Keith Olsen, dean of the pharmacy college. Olson noted the money did not come with any restrictions.
“It really allowed us as a college to do things that we wanted to do for a long time,” Olsen said. “We’re really just so grateful at the college for Joe and Millie Williams to give us this gift.”
Chief among the college’s desires is to offer scholarships to just about every pharmacy college student beginning next fall. The scholarships will range from $2,500 to $10,000. In a press release, UNMC said the scholarships will allow students to lessen their potential debt and help the university compete for some of the nation’s top students. Tuition for pharmacy college students is about $25,000 per year.
The scholarships are part of a $7.5 million allocation to establish the Joseph D. and Millie E. Williams Pharmacy Endowment Fund.
Olsen said $5 million from Williams’ donation will be used to match money from other donors on various initiatives including other scholarships.
UNMC will also allocate $5 million to start a deanship endowment fund at the pharmacy college, which is the first such endowment fund of its type at UNMC. The fund’s establishment will give Olsen and future College of Pharmacy deans more than $200,000 annually to invest at their discretion for the benefit of the college.
For Joe Williams, his $20 million posthumous donation caps a legacy that includes meeting and working with people at the highest levels, including U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. A science hall at UNMC bears his and Millie’s name.
In addition to his support of UNMC, Williams was described as “the driving force” in the establishment of the Liberty Science Center museum in New Jersey, where he and Millie lived.
Williams also chaired the United Negro College Fund, which is a philanthropic organization that financially supports Black college students and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
“He was generous with his time. He was generous with his money,” Millie Williams said of her husband.
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Joe Williams, who died in March 2021, and his wife, Millie, recently gave $20 million to the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Pharmacy.